Dana Cohen
Dana Cohen was a contestant on Season 10 and Season 17 of Hell's Kitchen. On season 10, she ranked in 3rd place, and on season 17, she ranked in 8th place. Personality Dana was very strong in line, generally pleasant and stayed out of drama in both seasons, often avoiding clashes with Barbie and Robyn, and developed a close friendship with Christina. However, she lacked leadership qualities and often was cliquish. Despite having mended fences with Robyn on season 17, she still had a dislike for Barbie, and had clashes with Elise. She could also crash hard during moments, losing her chance to be in the final two on season 10 and leading to her elimination in season 17 before making it to the black jacket challenge. Season 10 Episode 1 The 18 initial chefs were transported to Hell's Kitchen in a police-escorted motorcade, where Sous Chef Scott greeted them and explained that he shaved his head to prove his dedication to Chef Ramsay. He then revealed his decision to shave the contestants' heads as well, with Sous Chef Andi bringing out the barber chair, saying that he even convinced her to shave her head. However, before he has to opportunity to begin shaving, she reveals to everyone's surprise that she was wearing a wig. When the first "chef" is called down to get their head shaved, Dana begins to worry, before Ramsay comes out of his office and ended this commitment test. In the signature dish challenge, Dana presented pan-seared scallops, against Tavon Hubbard before remarking that Ramsay was a connoisseur on perfectly cooking scallops, however, she was not intimidated. She received praise for her dish and scored a point for the red team, contributing to their final win at 5-3. The reward for winning the challenge was going on an outing to eat a steak meal with Season 3 Winner Rock Harper and Season 6 Winner Dave Levey. During dinner service, Dana was not seen much, and the red team won the service for at least serving all of their appetizers, despite being kicked out. Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6/7 Episode 8 Episode 9/10 Episode 11 Episode 12/13 Episode 14 Episode 15 Episode 16 Episode 17 Episode 18 Episode 19/20 Nomination history Season 12 Episode 15/16 Dana returns to Hell's Kitchen along with Rock (Season 3) and Paul (Season 9) to judge a challenge. The chef who won the challenge would be featured in the first Hell's Kitchen Calendar. Joy ended up winning the challenge and ate a meal with the three returning chefs, which was prepared by the losers of the challenge. Season 17 Episode 1/2 During the opening, Dana was one of the five chefs that accepted Ramsay's offer to come back, and was seen screaming in excitement. She was the ninth All-Star that arrived at Hell's Kitchen, and while she and Robyn happily reunited, Barbie was not happy to see her. She felt a mutual attraction, before warning the other chefs that while Barbie seemed nice, she was actually evil. When Christina was announced as the red team's Sous Chef, she felt a little downed as the two used to be close before the former became a big deal. During the Signature Dish Challenge, Dana received filet as her main ingredient, but asked Ramsay if he could replace her dome. During Barbie's turn, she and Robyn laughed when the former talked about her multiple nominations, as they were responsible for those. When Barbie believed that it was because she could cook, she retorted that it was not that reason, but Ramsay asked her what the real reason was. However, she struggled to answer that, simply said that things were different now, and that they were each getting a clean slate. She was the sixth person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, went up against Josh, and presented her unknown filet dish, which scored 4 points. The red team lost the challenge 27-28, and they were punished by cleaning up the front of the entrance, tear down the risers and red carpets, and clean up the confetti on the ground. During the Bar Menu Challenge, Dana felt a little pissed as she did not cook for 40 minutes on a dish that Ramsay himself was not going to taste, and hoped she would be in the top four of the red team. She was called up as the first red chef in the top four, much to her excitement, and she presented her beer battered lobster tempura taco with pan-seared chorizo. Ramsay praised the dish for having a light tempura, and that the avocado crème made it a little more royal. Despite feeling that Milly's cheese fries dish were not better than her tacos, she lost the challenge as his dish beat out hers. During prep, Dana felt like she was shitting her pants over the abundance of menu items in one day. During dinner service, she served a shrimp and pasta appetizer tableside. She was not seen that night, the red team lost the service, and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. Dana was not nominated for elimination, and when asked by Ramsay on who should be eliminated, she said Elise. Episode 3 Back at the dorms, Dana loudly asked where the alcohol was as she was getting annoyed over Elise and Robyn going in circles. Before the Seafood Tower Challenge, Dana thought the the key behind a great chef was imagination. She was paired up with Jennifer, they were the third pair from the red team to compete, and got their first attempt accepted. The red team lost the challenge, and they were punished by taking deliveries of 100 pounds of seafood, prep them for that night’s service along with both kitchens, and eat a disgusting fish soup. During the punishment, she noticed that Elise refused to take a bite of the dish. During dinner service, Dana was on the appetizer station with Elise. At one point, she and Elise were seen getting their appetizers accepted. The red team lost the service, and were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she called the constant arguing on the line disgusting. Dana was not nominated for elimination, and when asked by Ramsay on what the red team's problem was, she believed that there was no teamwork. Episode 4 Before the Chance Challenge, Dana got spooked over the concept as she did not want the red team to end up with random ingredients, and hoped that the red team were on their feet. She called out asparagus during the A round, but struggled on a P lettered ingredient. During the cooking, Robyn had her taste her rice, but complained about getting dry mouth, said that Robyn always panicked during challenges, and did not want to give the latter advice in case the dish turned out poorly. She was the third person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and presented her peanut butter lined ribeye with blueberry demiglace. It was praised for the protein being nailed, and she scored a perfect 5. After Robyn's poor performance, she dismayingly said that it was the second time the former only scored a single point in a challenge, and feared that things were not looking good. The red team won the challenge 26-25, and they were rewarded with with a private jet trip to Santa Barbera, and had an overnight stay at the Belmond El Encanto resort. After hearing that, Dana called it a big win after having four straight loses, and called it redemption. During dinner service, Dana was on the meat station with Jennifer. She was not seen that night, and the red team won the service. During elimination, she said goodbye to Robyn as the latter was reassigned to the red team, and welcomed Josh as a new teammate, much to her dismay. Episode 5 Back at the dorms, Dana tried to comfort an upset Robyn over the switch into the blue team, and urged her to get out of her shell. During the Wood Plank Cooking Challenge, Dana was paired up with Josh on the barramundi, they were the third pair from the red team to have their dish judged, and went up against Van. They made a cedar smoked barramundi with poblano vinaigrette, it was praised for tasting delicious, and they tied that round with Van. The red team lost the challenge after a tie at 3, and they were punished by cleaning up a stable at Apex Ranch. During dinner service, Dana was on the meat station with Elise. When Elise was standing around and doing little, she got pissed by that. After Josh got kicked out of the kitchen, she felt that everything was going around for them with even Elise helping out. Both teams were named joint-winners. Episode 6 Back at the dorms, she called Josh's elimination a breath of relief, and at the hot tub, Robyn called her vanilla due to being Jewish despite having a nice ass. During the Pizza Fusion Challenge, Dana went up against Nick, their country was Greece, and she got excited as it was something she could work with. During the cooking, she complained that there was no room anywhere to cook, and called it utter chaos. She was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged, and presented her Greek lamb pizza with feta cheese. While it was praised for the flavors of the toppings, she lost that round to Nick. The red team eventually won the challenge 3-2, and they were rewarded with a tour around Hollywood in a double-decker bus, and a trip to the Hollywood Magic Castle. During the reward, she noticed that the red team was not arguing for once. During the Italian Night dinner service, Dana was on the garnish station. She was not seen that night, and the red team won the service. Episode 7 During the Last Chef Standing Challenge, Dana was the second person from the red team to leave the kitchen, although she admitted that she did not like it. When she came back into the kitchen, she got concerned over the pork as it looked cooked, but knew that it was deceiving her, and when it was sliced, the pork came out raw. When the red team presented the pork chop, she dismayingly said that they were serving Ramsay pork sushi, revealed that she started on it, and Ramsay commented that the only thing missing was its fucking tail. After the red team lost that round, she argued that the pork chop was not her fault as she got kicked out of the kitchen, and hoped that the rest of the dishes were perfect. The red team lost the challenge 3-5, and they were punished by helping Marino clean the dining room, clean the latter’s shirts ahead of the following service, and clean both kitchens. During the punishment, she asked what Marino did in his spare time after seeing women shoes from his bin, and later, she called Barbie a know it all at shoe shining, before deciding to vacuum in order not to listen to the latter. Before the Cook For Your Life Challenge, Dana was taking very close notes on the dish Ramsay was cooking. She was not nominated by Michelle, and therefore did not have to compete. Back at the dorms, she asked Michelle what would happen if Elise survived. Episode 8 During the Cave Meat Challenge, Dana pierced her ingredient too hard, which led to her spear getting stuck in the floor. She was paired up with Elise on the venison dish, they were the second pair from the red team to have their dishes judged, and went up against Nick. She made a roasted venison with yams and pear puree, it was criticized for having an underseasoned meat, and she did not score that round for the red team. The red team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by participating in Spring Cleaning day, which included clearing the bathrooms and bedrooms of the dorms, and ironing the wait staff’s aprons. During the punishment, she called the dorms gnarly as they were living with men. During dinner service, Dana was on the garnish station. At one point, she came to help Manda out on fish when the latter was struggling, and later, she asked Manda how the pork was doing. Later that night, she wanted to have that night turn around for the red team, but that never came to be as Barbie and Manda's raw proteins got the red team kicked out of the kitchen. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. She was not nominated for elimination. Episode 9 Before the Fishing Challenge, Dana commented that all she did on fishing trips was drink beer. While the chefs were gathering their ingredients, she found it funny that they as chefs could not catch a fish. During the cooking, she got annoyed with Elise's constant complaining, and when Ramsay revealed the reward, she wanted to go to Vegas and leave Hell’s Kitchen. She received arctic char as her fish, was the fourth person from the red team to have her dish judged, and went up against Benjamin. She made an Atlantic arctic char with chorizo hash, it was praised for the hash component, and she tied that round with Benjamin. The red team lost the challenge 2-4, and they were punished by participating in fish delivery, prep them for the following service, and drinking a disgusting milkshake. During the punishment, she annoyingly thought that they were done with deliveries after the previous one. During prep, Dana hoped that the Asian fusion night does not turn into confusion night. During dinner service, she was on the fish station. At one point, she got annoyed by Elise’s repetitive call outs, and when Barbie sent up ice-cold New York striploin, she commented that it was the sixth time that night where she said that the latter sucked. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two each. During deliberation, she said that the entire team got in trouble due to Barbie and Elise's arguments. Dana was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, she called it an intense elimination, before expressing frustration that Barbie was still around. Episode 10 Back at the dorms, Dana agreed with Elise that Barbie needed to go, especially after the latter's outburst during deliberation. When Ramsay announced the Blind Taste Challenge, Dana was not thrilled about that, recalling how difficult it was due to the headphones and blindfolds. She was the first person from the red team to compete, and went up against Robyn. She failed to correctly guess her four ingredients, and that led to Michelle getting all three punishments. During Jennifer's turn, she received all three punishments herself. The red team lost the challenge 2-8, and they were punished by cleaning up the dining room, separating peppercorn by color, and grinding them by hand. During the punishment, Dana complained that she just took a shower only to be ankle deep in gravy once again, and while separating the peppercorns, she and Jennifer called it their worst punishment yet. Despite Sous Chef Christina asking for a good service, she refused to make that promise as she did not believe in Barbie. During the Charity Night dinner service, Dana led the passion fruit soufflé course, knew that it was all down to the soufflés, and hoped that her course went well enough for Ramsay to ignore the previous two courses. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, she reminded Barbie how the potatoes were burnt. Dana was not nominated for elimination, and while being dismissed, she was happy that her wildest dream came true, but admitted that the better outcome would have been both Barbie and Elise going home. Episode 11 When the Budget Challenge was announced, Dana recalled that she participated in that challenge back in Season 10, how she won said challenge, and felt very confident in her chances. During the cooking, she got annoyed when Michelle kept calling her tortellinis dumplings. After Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and Bruce Kalman revealed themselves as guest judges, with Dana feeling the pressure on that. She was the second person from the red team to have her dish judged, went up against Nick, recalled that she used halibut back in Season 10 as well for that challenge, and wanted to win again. She made seafood pasta with halibut, shrimp, and sautéed peas, it was criticized for being too rolled up, to the point where Kalman’s dish could not break apart easily, the fish being overcooked, and there was too much dairy in it. So, she scored $63, and she got dismayed as it was not the result she was expecting. The red team eventually won the challenge $320-$313, and they were rewarded with a go-karting experience along with lunch. During the reward, Dana said that Jennifer drove like a grandma, and she and Elise fought for first place. During lunch, she believed that with Barbie gone, they could finally go through a dinner service without fighting. Even though she said that the fighting was the major problem that kept them down, she dismayingly commented that they could not even enjoy a reward without bickering, and the red team continued to eat with the mood soured. During dinner service, Dana was on the meat station. At one point, Ramsay asked her for an update on the meat, but when she opened the convection oven, she announced that she needed to refire the Wellingtons as her initial batch was scorched, and that it may take 20 minutes for her refires to cook. Despite that, Ramsay allowed them to flip to another ticket, but she sent up raw lamb, and Ramsay yelled that the red team were currently behind. When both teams were three tickets away from finishing, she said that she was responsible for the last three tickets. On their final ticket, she sent up the Wellington, but while she felt she was under control, it was overcooked. Then, she sent up her backup Wellington, but it was raw, leading a dismayed Ramsay to send the red team to the pantry room, and ordered them to head back to the dorms. The red team lost the service, and they were asked to nominate two people for elimination. During deliberation, Dana was considered for elimination by Elise and Michelle, but when the former accused her of nominating her out of fear, she called Elise a bully. Dana was one of the three nominees from the red team as they failed to agree on two people, along with Elise and Michelle. During her plea, she said that despite a poor night, she was not the weakest chef on the red team, and added on how Elise fought with everybody in the red kitchen. While Elise denied that, she reminded the multiple fights the latter had with everybody. She was eliminated for her poor performance on meat, and being the reason the red team got kicked out of service. Before leaving, Ramsay told her that while he was originally excited to bring her back, she had her worst day in her entire run on the show, and felt she was not leadership material. During her exit interview, she called the red team a disaster, believed that Elise should have gone home instead of herself, and argued that the latter’s bullying nature was a façade for being insecure. Ramsay's comment: "In two seasons, this was Dana's first time ever being nominated. Unfortunately for her, it was also her last." Episode 15/16 Dana was one of the seven returning chefs that came back for the final dinner service. She was Michelle's second pick, after Nick, and was followed by Milly and Elise. Back at the dorms, she hoped that Michelle had a plan b regarding Elise’s behavior. During prep, Elise rudely threw a rubber glove at her. During dinner service, Dana was on the fish station. After Elise got the first order of appetizers accepted, she told the former to thank Michelle's compliment. Later, she was confused on what the Hamachi was supposed to look like, and asked Michelle for help on the first plate, even though Ramsay reminded her that the latter could not afford to off the hot plate a lot. As Michelle wanted to win, she told her to get it done as she showed the latter what was needed. However, she continued to struggle, but eventually recovered. After, Michelle sent back a fish for her to reheat, and her refire was accepted. Michelle eventually won the finale over Benjamin. Nomination history Trivia Season 10 *She is the fifth contestant to keep her jacket after elimination, following Ji (Season 5), Ariel (Season 6), Jillian (Season 8), and Elise (Season 9). *She is the third contestant who finished in 3rd place that completely avoided nomination during the entire season, following Keith from Season 2 and Jillian from Season 8. *After her first appearance on the show, she became a fitness instructor and has opened a healthy eatery called Pulse Cafe. She is also a private chef and also a food columnist for a local paper. Season 17 *She is the only contestant who participated in the Budget Challenge in two different seasons, although her performances in both challenges were vastly different; she won in Season 10 with a $34 average yield ($102 overall yield) whereas in Season 17 she had the lowest score on the Red Team with only a $63 yield. She is also the only contestant who participated in that challenge in both the team format and the black jackets format. *After her second appearance on the show, she returned to her previous roles as a personal trainer and personal chef. Quotes Season 10 *"Chef Ramsay's big on Scallops and cooking them perfectly, but I'm not scared of him." *"Hell's Kitchen season 10 making history! Only we're making history because we suck!" *"Dude, these giraffes wanna, like, make out with us. This is the most action I've gotten in a week! This is nice!" *"Guys, like, we get it. You don't like to eat ever, and all you care about is your image." *(About Robyn and Kimmie’s fight after service) "It is so ghetto right now. JUST SHUT UP!" *"Robyn gets a big, fat zero!!!! (laughs)" *"Chef, I can do this, I don't need your help right now." *"It's the same thing, tomatoes, tomatoes, Chef!!!" *"What's up!!! Who looks good in Black? I do!!!" *"Normally, walking out of elimination, it's a little depressing, but tonight, we are walking out minus Robyn, and it feels so good, it's such a relief!!!" *"I know I'm getting the point, that meatloaf sandwich ain't got nothing on my mini meatloaf!!!" *(About Barbie) "Patience is a virtue, being mediocre throughout the whole competition, was that your strategy?" *"I don't like Jay!! Why do you have blue hair, do you think it looks good? Because I'll tell you something, It Doesn't!!!!" *(About Kimmie) "What are you thinking Kimmie?? This is not happening!!! NO!!!!" *"Are you guys kidding, you made pasta!!!" *(About Clemenza)"You're supposed to be coming over to help me not sink me!!!!" *(After being eliminated) "Hells Kitchen has been so much harder than I ever thought it was gonna be, but I have to say that I think I did pretty well. I've had Michelin Star Chefs who've tasted my dishes and told me how amazing they are. I can leave here and say I got to serve David Beckham!! These are all moments that are priceless and I'm just gonna take it away. Even though I'm leaving Hell's Kitchen, I'm leaving with my head held high and I know one thing and that's I'll never stop cooking!!!" Season 17 *''(About Elise trying to skip punishment)'' "Somebody has to sit back down and take a bite of their delicious lunch. Yay! Team work!" *"We're serving Chef Ramsay pork sushi." *''(During Elise and Robyn's fight)'' "Where is the alcohol?!" *''(About Elise and Robyn fighting) "They're going in circles and circles and nobody's getting anywhere, like SHUT UP!!" *(About Elise doing nothing)'' "Elise and I are on meat together and she doesn't do anything! Elise is like, 'I'm just gonna stand here, until my next order comes in, and I'm not going to help anyone else but myself." *"Josh is out of the kitchen, and all of a sudden, things turn right around! Garnish is going up to the window, wellingtons are being sliced, even Elise is acting normal!" *"I just sit on the boat and drink, Chef." *"Pretty much five times a day, I say that Barbie sucks. I'm going for number six: Barbie sucks!" *''(After being drenched in gravy)'' "I'm feeling a little moist." *(After being eliminated) "I mean, let's face it. The red team is a disaster. Elise should be standing here. Elise wants to say she's not a bully, but I think she uses that facade to push people around, when really she's insecure about herself. I came into this kitchen everyday and gave it my all, so to know that...that wasn't good enough, that hurts." Category:Chef Category:Season 10 Category:All-Stars Category:Hot Women Category:Black Jacket Category:Final Service Brigade Category:Returning Chef Category:Funniest Category:Nicest